Department of Environmental Science, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, 226025, India.
Center for Environmental Sciences, School of Earth Sciences, Central University of Jharkhand, Brambe, Ranchi, Jharkhand, 8352 05, India.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2018 Oct;25(29):29505-29510. doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-2993-z. Epub 2018 Aug 22.
Application of medicinal plant to cure ailments has been practiced by several civilizations. Nowadays, contamination of heavy metals and pesticide residues in medicinal plant is a serious concern, due to toxic effects on human health. The present study was designed with an aim to quantify the heavy metals and pesticide residues in the 20 medicinal herbs, frequently sold in the local market as raw material without any quality assurance. The concentrations of the elements are as follows: copper (2.42-19.14 μgg), cadmium (0.01-2.10 μgg), chromium (17.63-58.63 μgg), iron (7.61-322.6 μgg), and lead (13.00-54.47 μgg), whereas total metal concentration ranged between 44.73 and 385.15 μgg. Among the organic pesticides, HCH (1.63-6.44 μgg) and DDT (0.63-7.14 μgg) isomers were found to be present in medicinal plant material. Result showed that lead and chromium concentrations in the herbs were above the permissible limits set by WHO. These herbs should be regularly checked for quality assurance before using raw or as a herbal formulation to avoid chronic exposure of metal and pesticides to human being.
药用植物治疗疾病的应用已经被几种文明所实践。如今，由于对人类健康的毒性影响，药用植物中重金属和农药残留的污染是一个严重的问题。本研究旨在定量分析当地市场上经常作为原材料出售的 20 种药用植物中的重金属和农药残留。元素浓度如下：铜（2.42-19.14μg/g）、镉（0.01-2.10μg/g）、铬（17.63-58.63μg/g）、铁（7.61-322.6μg/g）和铅（13.00-54.47μg/g），而总金属浓度在 44.73 至 385.15μg/g 之间。在有机农药中，发现 HCH（1.63-6.44μg/g）和 DDT（0.63-7.14μg/g）异构体存在于药用植物材料中。结果表明，草药中的铅和铬浓度超过了世界卫生组织设定的允许限度。在使用生药或草药配方之前，这些草药应定期进行质量检查，以避免金属和农药对人体的慢性暴露。
